Feb. 18, 2026
WESTBY, Wis. — Peter Michael Engh and Toby L. Wood will advance to the April general election following Tuesday’s primary for the Westby Area School District Board of Education.
Engh was the top vote-getter in the Feb. 17 primary with 453 votes, followed by Wood, who received 205 votes, according to un-canvassed results released by the school district Wednesday.
Candidate David Eggen was eliminated from the race after finishing third with 103 votes.
Engh and Wood will now face off for Seat 6, an at-large position on the school board, during the Spring Election on April 7. According to the district, Wood will appear as the first name on the April ballot, followed by Engh.
The school board contest was the only primary election held in Vernon County on Tuesday.
Looking toward April
In addition to the Westby School Board runoff, voters across the county will head to the polls April 7 to decide statewide and municipal races.
The ballot will feature a contest for a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court between State Court of Appeals Judges Maria Lazar and Chris Taylor.
In Viroqua, voters will elect a new mayor to succeed incumbent Justin Running, who did not seek re-election. Candidates Krista Browne and Roger Call are vying for the open seat. Several contested races for the Vernon County Board of Supervisors will also be decided.
It would be a good idea, in my opinion, to solicit and publish candidate statements from Engh and Wood. The are not available anywhere, and voters will be needing that information.
I find it interesting that with 3 candidates on the ballot, and no voter profiles available, of the 2 chosen one has a long reputation in the school system and the other unknown to most people. And the loser in the race was well known. People were willing to take a chance on the unknown👹